Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Olivia Colman is one of contemporary film’s great actresses and Roger Deakins one of its legendary cinematographers, and yet neither artist’s Herculean efforts can sufficiently elevate Empire of Light (Dec. 9, in theaters), writer/director Sam Mendes’ quasi-autobiographical tale about romance, intolerance, illness, and the illuminating power of cinema.
The story of an older white woman and younger Black man who develop an amorous bond while working together at a fading English movie palace, it’s a typical award-season venture—stately, respectable, and imbued with hints of “timeliness”—that proves too clumsy to effectively tie its thematic threads together, and too schematic to stir the heart.
Every third composition in Empire of Light is a stunner courtesy of Mendes and frequent collaborator Deakins, whose partnership (which includes Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, Skyfall, and 1917) continues to reap visual wonders. From an early nighttime rooftop rendezvous irradiated by fireworks and a glowing vertical neon sign, to a late shot of a projectionist switching off the lights in his headshot-decorated booth, the film is another splendid showcase for the duo’s aesthetic gifts.